Man found guilty of killing pregnant ex-girlfriend and baby in London – The Guardian

‘A man has been found guilty of stabbing his pregnant ex-girlfriend in a jealous rage, killing her and their baby.’

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The Guardian, 10th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Pilot Scheme launched for domestic abuse cases in family courts – Becket Chambers

‘The Domestic Abuse bill which is making its way through the legislative process and which was delayed as a result of the calling of the general election (and the prorogation of Parliament) has reached the report stage in the commons this week. It is expected to be amended to incorporate the reforms to the legislation recommended by an expert panel and which will implement those recommendations and commence a pilot scheme to trial them.’

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Becket Chambers, 1st July 2020

Source: becket-chambers.co.uk

Supreme Court hands down judgment in Villiers v Villiers – Parklane Plowden Chambers

‘Charles and Emma Villiers married in 1994. They moved to Scotland the following year and lived there throughout their married life. The couple separated in 2012, when the wife and the parties’ daughter left the former matrimonial home and moved to England, where the wife continues to reside. Mrs Villiers issued a divorce petition in July 2013 on the basis of her habitual residence for 12 months preceding the presentation of the petition.’

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Parklane Plowden Chambers, 1st July 2020

Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk

One size fits all? – No. 5 Chambers

‘The recent judgment of the Court of Appeal in Re LC (A Child) (Placement Order) [2020] EWCA Civ 787 should serve as a reminder to practitioners in the field of Children Law that each case has to be considered on its peculiar facts and by reference, where applicable, to the welfare checklist in section 1 of the Children Act 1989 or the enhanced welfare checklist contained in section 1 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002.’

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No. 5 Chambers, 30th June 2020

Source: www.no5.com

Protected parties, anonymity orders and clinical negligence; PQ (a child by her litigation friend) v Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust [2020] EWHC 1662 (QB) – Parklane Plowden Chambers

‘In PQ (a child, by her litigation friend) v Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, Martin Spencer J was required to rule on an application that the identity of the Claimant and her family be anonymised, for the purposes of a liability-only clinical negligence trial. Although only a short, first-instance decision, the case effectively makes anonymisation orders in such circumstances all but inevitable.’

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Parklane Plowden Chambers, 30th June 2020

Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk

Villiers v Villiers – Blackstone Chambers

‘This appeal concerned the jurisdiction of an English court to make a maintenance order in favour of the wife (“W”) pursuant to s.27 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 (“MCA”) in circumstances where the parties lived for most of their marriage in Scotland and the divorce proceedings issued by the husband (“H”) were conducted in Scotland.’

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Blackstone Chambers, 1st July 2020

Source: www.blackstonechambers.com

The New Cost Rules – A Focused Approach – Becket Chambers

‘A client who is successful in most forms of civil litigation can expect to recover some if not all their costs. Since the abolition of the Calderbank offer, it has been difficult to obtain cost orders in financial remedy litigation and the general rule is that the court will not make an order requiring one party to pay the costs of the other (FPR 28.3 (5)).’

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Becket Chambers, 6th July 2020

Source: becket-chambers.co.uk

Costs and the expert – No. 5 Chambers

Posted July 10th, 2020 in chambers articles, children, costs, expert witnesses, families, news by sally

‘Dewinder Birk of No5’s Family Group has set out two cases dealing with two different aspects of experts’ costs in private children cases, but both of which highlight the robustness of the higher courts in exercising discretion in relation to costs when dealing with such matters.’

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No. 5 Chambers, 1st July 2020

Source: www.no5.com

Council faces judicial review over SEND cuts – Local Government Lawyer

‘A group of parents of children with special educational needs or disabilities has been granted permission to take the London Borough of Waltham Forest to judicial review over spending cuts.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 9th July 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Sunderland Christian foster service ‘must allow gay carers’ says High Court – Local Government Lawyer

‘A Christian Foster service has been told it must allow gay parents to sign up as carers, the High Court has ruled.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 9th July 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Is COVID-19 a Barder Event? Considering the enforceability of financial settlements in light of COVID-19 – Thomas More Chambers

‘The potential short and longer-term consequences of the COVID-19 crisis upon the global and national economy are now well-known. Financial remedy practitioners have been anticipating a number of queries from clients potentially seeking to make an application to set aside their concluded financial settlements, because of the effect current events have had or may have upon their finances. Questions therefore arise about whether or not the effects of COVID-19 are capable of being treated as a Barder Event by the family courts, and thus to act as a basis to revisit final financial remedy orders.’

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Thomas More Chambers, 6th July 2020

Source: www.thomasmore.co.uk

Beware of issuing ‘hopeless’ Inheritance claims in expectation of settlement – St Ives Chambers

‘Ever since the well-known case of Ilott v The Blue Cross and others [2017] where an adult child was awarded £50,000 from her mother’s estate (notwithstanding their estrangement), practitioners are regularly approached by adult children in order to claim from an estranged relative’s inheritance. There is often reference to a “10% rule” based on what was awarded in Ilott.’

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St Ives Chambers, 3rd July 2020

Source: www.stiveschambers.co.uk

London-born twins face deportation to different countries – The Guardian

‘Twins who were born in London and have never left the UK face deportation to different countries in the Caribbean where they have no close relatives, their families have told the Guardian.’

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The Guardian, 7th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Appeal judges reject divorcee’s negligence claim – Legal Futures

Posted July 8th, 2020 in appeals, damages, divorce, families, fees, law firms, negligence, news, solicitors, time limits by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has upheld a ruling that a negligence claim brought by a woman against her law firm over its work on her divorce was out of time.’

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Legal Futures, 8th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Grenfell Tower inquiry: Fire ‘inextricably linked with race’ – BBC News

‘The Grenfell Tower fire inquiry “must not ignore” the impact of race and poverty on the disaster, a lawyer representing survivors has said.’

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BBC News, 7th July 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Supreme Court holds children’s hearings system is compatible with article 8 – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The Supreme Court recently dismissed two appeals concerning the role and rights of siblings in children’s hearings in Scotland. It held that the provisions of the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011 in question were compatible with article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 6th July 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Dunn v FCO — the opening skirmishes – UK Human Rights Blog

‘In R (Dunn) v The Foreign Secretary and the Chief Constable of Northamptonshire [2020] EWHC 1620 (Admin) the Divisional Court dismissed two applications made in anticipation of the forthcoming rolled up judicial review arising out of the death of Harry Dunn.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 6th July 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Grenfell Tower inquiry resumes but distancing rules anger families – The Guardian

‘Builders behind the disastrous Grenfell Tower refurbishment are finally set to face public questioning over the June 2017 fire that killed 72 people, as the delayed public inquiry resumes on Monday with strict social distancing rules that have angered the bereaved.’

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The Guardian, 6th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Why victims can sometimes inherit from their abusers- even if they kill them – OUP Blog

‘It is a basic rule of English law that a person who kills someone should not inherit from their victim. The justification behind the rule, known as the forfeiture rule, is that a person should not benefit from their crimes and therefore forfeits entitlement. Many other jurisdictions have the same basic rule for fundamental reasons of public policy, including the need to avoid incentivising homicide. Importantly, however, Parliament passed the Forfeiture Act 1982 to give courts in England and Wales discretion to modify the application of the rule in certain cases, so that some people could inherit from those they had killed after all. Such modification is also possible in some other jurisdictions: It allows judges to consider individual circumstances where the blanket application of a forfeiture rule would cause injustice.’

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OUP Blog, 3rd July 2020

Source: blog.oup.com

Altruistic cell donation: Court of Protection – UK Human Rights Blog

‘How to determine “best interests” in the case of an adult lacking capacity, where a proposed medical donation for the benefit of a close relative may cause lasting harm to the donor?’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 2nd July 202

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com